So, this is Christmas
by KShade
Summary: Disillusioned, cheerful and so much more. That's the way a HoN Christmas works. How will the characters celebrate after everything? Everyone sees the holiday as something of a miracle, as a day where nothing can go wrong, but this particular year will leave them asking "so this is Christmas?" About Neferet, the Circle and Erin, set after Hidden (If Hidden were in December)
1. Silent Night

_Silent Night- Neferet_

The carollers sang and skipped merrily down the corridors of the Mayo, unaware of the somber, even dour mood that floated about the penthouse suite, like a gas, permeating everything. I looked absently at my calendar, seeing that it was December twenty second. They were singing Christmas songs. The joyful tone to the song they were singing, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, to be precise, did nothing for my mood as it concluded abruptly.

Then they began a childhood _favourite, _Silent Night. The slow, languorously moving melody wrapped around me, like suffocating tendrils of a force of unnameable power, leading me to feel claustrophobic. The song had always made me think of being trapped in a maze, or between a rock and a hard place. It could possibly be because father had always hummed it around the cursed holiday, at a tempo and on a peculiar minor chord that had made it sound threatening, menacing even. Not that he couldn't make everything menacing sounding.

I opened my door to see a group of children, none older than eleven, surely, standing there, holding a bucket, with some charity name written on it, and singing. I looked closer. The money went to mistreated children. It said something to the effect of 'every child deserves a chance'.

After they completed the cursed song, one brave little boy spoke up "we're collecting donations for mistreated children. Would you like to donate some money, and give everyone a Merry Christmas?" he asked

And I _laughed _"All the money in the world can't make some Christmases merry." I said coolly "Some people, some things are just too far gone, are they not?" She thought of the way Emily Wheiler had celebrated Christmas, by locking herself in her room and praying for one of those miracles that the holiday was known for. A miracle that, as far as I was concerned, had yet to come, to me or my past counterpart.

"With a little love, we think that anyone c-can have a m-merry Christmas." A little blond girl, vaguely resembling Erin, responded, and I laughed again, at their naïveté.

"Love?" I demanded "You are all the same, vampyres, humans, mortals. It all comes down to love to you guys. Well, what about when one of your supposed _loved_ ones is the one ruining your life? Because I'm sure then, they'll be damned grateful for love, when someone they think they loved makes them want to die." I somehow went from laughing, to screaming about something a hundred years ago, in my other life.

"T-those are the k-kids that w-w-we're trying to h-help" Another little girl, this one with two pigtails, stammered out, no doubt afraid of the vampyre screaming at them, I heard two of them whisper 'lunatic' to each other.

"Very well." I found my wallet and loosed a twenty dollar bill "Here." _And may their Christmases be merrier than mine_ I added sarcastically in my head

The kids' eyes widened "Twenty dollars?" one of them gasped

"Use it wisely." I snapped "And ensure you do not stray up here by night. Some of you may not live to regret it." And the kids scattered, running in fear, except one kid, who stared at me, her dark eyes staring deep into mine. Her bronze complexion looked sallow and there was a bruise beneath her eyes. She looked like one of the eldest, maybe ten.

"I thought I asked you to leave." I insisted, my voice cold

She shook her head "I can't leave." She stated in a sad voice, not elaborating any further

"Mona!" Came a voice from the stairs "Mona, get down here!" shrieked a shrill female voice

"Please." The little girl, Mona, begged. And the desperation in her eyes was like looking in the Mirror again.

I didn't act so much as react, when I pulled her back into my penthouse and closed the door. She looked around apprehensively, at the broken balcony Aurox and I had fallen from, the stains from my blood, Sylvia's blood, all the bloodshed that had come to pass in here.

"Don't hurt me." She whispered, deciding that I had to be someone to fear, curling up into a ball, and heading for the corner.

"You will not be here for long." I explained "only until the immediate danger passes. I am not the kind of person you would like to spend very much more time with." I explained simply "Now, how long exactly do you need to stay here?" I demanded

Mona stopped and thought "Eight years, unless I become a fledgling." She replied

"You cannot stay here for eight years. I'm sending you home." I insisted, trying to harden my heart to this modern-day Emily Wheiler "Where exactly is home?"

"the orphanage. My parents were bad people, so they took me away to a worse place." She explained "But you can't understand"

I was fairly sure she had nothing on me. I used the powers Nyx had given me so long ago, and slid into her memories. I saw a woman who was never home and a man who would explode into fits of anger where no one, nothing was safe, much less a nine year old. I saw a severe woman running the orphanage, oblivious to the older kids who saw people like Mona, the younger kids, as little more than servants.

"Between a rock and a hard place." I whispered, feeling the exact sentiment whenever I heard Silent night. "You can stay." I said softly, feeling the White Bull's, my lord's heavy disapproval in my taking the girl in. "but only until I find a better place for you."

She hugged my leg and whispered "thank you." as I reconciled myself with the memories I had just seen, forcing myself not to see this girl as a younger, modern day version of myself.

**What is with me and making Neferet do nice things?! This was not intended like that at all! But hey, happy accidents. Stay tuned for tomorrow's. KShade out.**


	2. The most 'wonderful' time of the year

**Well, I decided to write Zoey's on her real birthday (which is tomorrow, by the way) so here's another one, this time about Erin and Dallas. By the way, I always forget this but If I owned these characters, it would make my life. Unfortunately, I don't.**

_Erin_

Predictably, after Dallas bit me that one time, after arguing with Shaylin and Erik, he hadn't taken into account that , since he was a vampyre and I was a fledgling, we could actually wind up imprinted. I wondered how Zoey and Stevie Rae could even put up with it. You get barrages of random emotions that aren't yours, a random 'he's calling to you' that interrupts everything, and absolutely no privacy, because there's this weird thing that makes him able to see me at any point, and basically ghost-stalk me.

Granted, Zoey had loved Heath, and Stevie Rae loves Rephaim, so I'm sure they were just _thrilled_ about all these irritating little side effects. Maybe that's what we were missing. There was no way Dallas loved me. I could sense his emotions, so this, I knew.

"Were you even listening?" He demanded angrily. Ugh.

"No, I wasn't." I snapped tensely, fed up with the face that all he seemed to care about was sex.

"I was asking you what you have planned for the week." He stated

_Other than Christmas? _I thought "Well, I was thinking the two of us could do something on Christmas. Plus, you are going to love your gift."

_Annoyance. _"Vampyres don't celebrate that incessant holiday." He snapped, with a pompous tone

That pissed me off "well, it's important to me. It's our first Christmas as a couple." I replied stubbornly

_Derision. _"Well, that's great, Mermaid" he used his irritating pet name for me "But I'm not celebrating, and you can't force me."

Okay, now I was a little more angry "Like you don't force me to do things." I replied venomously "Like I ever get a say in anything." I added bitterly

_Irritation. _"I don't get what your issue is, I said no, no means no. Why does everything have to be so fucking complicated to you?"

_It's not complicated, Christmas is about spending time with people you love, not that you know what that means. _I wanted to say. Instead I responded with "Like you'd take me seriously if I were the one saying no. Like no means anything to you." I didn't like the hurt tone of voice I was using.

_Starting to get angry. _"If I were the one saying yes, you can bet your hot little ass that it would be better than some human holiday."

_Thank you Mr. Superiority Complex. _I thought bitterly "Can you just give me this?" I begged

_Frustration. _He rolled his eyes "That's how it always starts, isn't it? Then next thing you know I have no rights left."

_You mean like me? _I questioned mentally. _It would seem I've lost my individuality again… god knows I didn't intend to be another twin role. _"Yeah, because you're so the type to quietly surrender to anything." I snapped "You know what? I'm going to go find something better to do on Christmas, you'd just ruin it."

_Angry. Indignant. _There goes the damn imprint again. What I wouldn't give to break the damned thing, right now. Then came the question of what to do for Christmas. My family avoided me like the plague. My friends didn't care about me, not that I blamed them. And Dallas was Dallas, it wasn't like I mattered to him. Dallas's phone rang. He answered in quickly. _Nervousness and irritation._

"Hello? I thought you weren't going to call unless" He paused. _Fear._

"How? I had her here the whole time. They said they were." He paused again "I'm not the psychic one! How the hell could I have known?" _Fear, anxiety, resentment._

"Well, I had water here with me." He insisted, there was another pause as the other person spoke "Well, shit. I had to choose the replaceable one, didn't I?" _frustration, resentment. _

_Replaceable!? _I was not replaceable!? What the hell was he talking about. As far as I knew, I was Water here. The circle couldn't have done anything without me, unless Zoey tried to be two elements simultaneously.

"She isn't telling me shit and she's all hung up on Christmas. What the hell happened on your end?" he demanded _uncertainty, fear._

"I hear Zoey talking about a mirror or something. She didn't say much except that it freaked her—and you- out before Stevie Rae got pissed." He responded. _Fear, uncertainty._

"How in the hell can -okay, shutting up." He replied "I don't even want to know." _Anger, fear._

She yelled at him loud enough I could hear it. "Dallas! How is it that you find a way to screw up the simplest of tasks and then ask the least pertinent of questions! It's none of your business what I saw." The voice was Neferet. Dallas wasn't even here because he liked me, not even because he found me attractive. He was her _informant_. I was just a source of information. He felt fear.

I summoned water from the fountain nearby that we'd met at, and had it travel over here in a ball. Dallas had turned around, so it was perfect. In the nice, minus twenty degrees Celsius weather, watching that ball of water go splat over his lying head, shorting out his phone. _Utter shock and anger._

"What the fuck!?" He demanded

I smirked "Karma's a bitch. By the way, it's over. I have no place in this insanity." I ran off before he could retaliate with electricity. I ran into Nyx's Temple, which looked so quaint, covered in snow.

"Nyx, I'm so sorry. I screwed up completely and I wasn't there when I needed to be. Can you forgive me?" I whispered

_Anger. Anger. Anger, anger, anger. _I felt from Dallas

"Can you please break this thing? For Christmas, or something. As a miracle?" But nothing happened. The sense of Dallas' anger engulfed me like a flame, like an inferno. I never felt as alone as I did that night. The twenty third of December, two days until the supposed 'most wonderful time of the year' and I was sitting in Nyx's temple, crying over a guy who had never loved me, an imprint that might very well destroy me, and a holiday that I used to think was about miracles.

**I think this is where the disillusioned comes in… Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, I guess, to stay politically correct. KShade out.**


	3. Happy Birthday

This is the Christmas Eve special, with Zoey. apologies if it's short...

_Zoey_

I woke up to see that Stark wasn't in our room. Confusedly, I wondered if I'd been calling for Heath, again. I knew it annoyed, even hurt Stark but... That's when I saw the note come floating down from the vent. "In the kitchen." it read. I wondered why Stark couldnn't have just aited until I got up.

I sighed. What the hell was going on now? So, I reluctantly changed out of my pajamas into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and walked down the halls to the kitchen. In the kitchen, there was only a candle for light, and beneath it was a note "Woops, missed me. I'm in the showers." Then the candle flickered out and died dramatically.

The showers? Did that mean he wanted me to meet him there? I was seriously questioning my Stark right now, but I went after him any ways, going all the way up to the place where the showers were located. I stepped into the ladies shower area and got abruptly drenched in water, finding a note in my hand. "Sorry 'bout the flood, come to Stevie Rae's room to dry off." _Wait, how did Stark even get this in here?_ I wondered _And who triggered the flash flood? _Then, I saw Shaylin sprinting down the hall. I went running after her, yelling at her to stop. Shaylin just kept going until she took a turn and I completely lost her.

I sighed and called fire to evaporate the water, feeling borderline ticked off. I walked down to Stevie Rae's room, where there was a tiny little tree, with a note attached to the branches. I grabbed the note, feeling exhausted "In Darius's car, where else would we be?" was written in Aphrodite's sort of cursive type writing.

Great, so Stark and Aphrodite were in Darius's car... If it weren't for Darius, that would be really upsetting... I walked to the main entrance and found Darius's car. Sure enough, there was another note "Your grandma is here, she's with me never fear." Was written in Kramisha's odd, poetry writing. Great. Where had everyone gone? What the hell was going on?

I sprinted down the tunnels and to Kramisha's room, where there was an arrow shot into the wall. "Trust me, mo bann ri, I'm back in our room." was written on the pointy part. That was definitely Stark's writing. What the hell had they led me on a wild goose chase?

I walked frustrated to my room, which was pitch black. I fumbled for the lights and...

_"SUPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZOEY!" _yelled my friends and grandma

This was all a birthday thing? "Thanks, guys!" I replied ecstatically, giving grandma (Who I noticed looked way better than the last time I'd seen her, when we saved her) a hug.

"Now, come on, we're going to be late." Stark grabbed my hand "we have to go get Thanatos, she couldn't get her warrior to go downstairs. He has issues with going underground."

I laughed "Stark, have I ever told you how awesomesauce you can be?" I asked

Stevie Rae came running up behind me "This is so awesome! I am so glad I'm not dead this time!" She gave me a hug, and Stark shot me a confused look

"Stevie Rae was undead during my last birthday. I did still see her, but I had to stop her from eating someone." I whispered

Stark smiled "Good times." He joked

We walked outside, to see Thanatos and Kalona standing there, waiting, with the short bus in the background.

"Where are we going?" I demanded

Stark smiled "Now, where's the surprise in that?" he asked. "Plus, Stevie Rae and Shaunee might kill me if I tell you." He added

"I'll kill you." Damien joked "I helped them, and Zoey remembers my fencing abilities, right Z"

I turned to Stark and said "I hope you have your bow, or you're screwed"

Then, the three of us burst out laughing. It was so good to have my friends around. First, we stopped at the House of Night, and Thanatos got the warriors to load a bunch of presents into the back, while we went into Nyx's temple. When we opened the door, a very dishevelled Erin shot up, looking like she'd been crying.

"Oh, Thanatos, I was just leaving." Erin stammered, getting to her feet and turning to run out.

"Are you okay?" I asked, worried about the girl that used to be my friend.

"Like you care." Erin snapped and left, muttering and cursing under her breath.

"Well, let's get back to the ritual we were going to do." Thanatos announced. Stevie Rae elbowed Shaunee and Shaylin, Shaunee looking like she couldn't believe what had become of her twin, and Shaylin looking like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. But, I put that to the back of my mind, and tried to enjoy my birthday, ignoring the look of utter sadness that was present on Erin's face.

After that, we got in the bus, and drove to the amazing restaurant at the bottom of the Mayo. Aphrodite had chosen the restaurant. On the way in, I noticed Neferet, talking to the building manager, looking like she was pleading. There was a young girl, maybe ten years old, clutching onto her hand. The girl had dark hair and tanned skin, looking vaguely like a younger me. The difference was that she had bruises and cuts all over her body.

"Stark!" I whacked his arm "look." But by the time he'd turned around, Neferet and the little girl were up in the elevator.

"What is it?' He asked, sounding confused

"Neferet. She's got someone up there." I whispered urgently. Then, Aphrodite escorted us in, "What about Neferet?" she demanded

"She's got a little girl up there alone." I whispered

Thanatos looked at me disapprovingly. "That's impossible. The Mayo was to notify me when she was seen. I told the manager she was dangerous. I have received no such information. You must be seeing things, Zoey." She replied

I sighed. That _did_ sound likely that, after all the chaos last week, I was seeing things. "Okay, but keep an eye out." I whispered, and we all went to eat.

After an amazing meal, we went back to the House of Night, to unwrap presents. Once we were there, I unwrapped gifts from everyone but Stark. I got a pair of shoes (From Shaunee, this time without any Christmas trees), earrings that Jack had made, before he died that he'd intended to give me when I got back from Skye (Which made me seriously snot-cry) a few books (From Damien and Kramisha) some clothes (from Aphrodite) a few gift cards (from Shaylin and Thanatos) and a lavender plant from grandma, as well as some protective turquoise jewellery.

The one present I was not allowed to open was Stark's. He insisted on waiting until we were alone, leaving me to question what it was until we were back in the tunnels. Stark led me to the rooftop, where we could be alone. Stark gave me my present there. At first, it looked like one of those bracelets we swapped as kids, but then I looked at it, a little more clearly. It was made of two strands, one of his plaid, and one from my scarf.

"This is so, whatever else happens, you can remember the hanging tree."

I tried to keep back my tears, but that failed. "That's so sweet, Stark." I cried, and kissed him. This was the best birthday ever!

Then, I remembered Erin. And then the girl with Neferet. I guess this wasn't the best Christmas eve ever for them. Which is why I felt so thankful that I was here, in the arms of my Warrior, where I knew I was safe and loved.

**Well, this was written in my own time on Christmas eve, so please review it, if only as a Christmas present… KShade out.**


	4. Christmas miracles

**Well, this was written on Christmas Eve, and then at like three AM, so don't be mad if it kind of sucks, because I wanted to spend Christmas with my family.**

_Zoey_

I woke up Christmas morning perfectly content, in Stark's arms. I felt so at home here that I didn't want to leave until Stark woke up "Good morning, Zoey." he smiled and greeted me cheerfully.

"how are you so happy so early in the morning?" I asked, "particularly since the sun is probably still up."

"Actually, it set about ten minutes ago. And I have every reason to be happy. I'm with my queen, on Christmas, for once I'm not in danger, and we're in this amazing place, surrounded by our friends." He replied

"I love your optimism." I replied, kissing him lightly

He kissed me back, so the two of us were having a perfect moment, when someone banged on the door. _Bang, bang, bang, bang _"Zoey, you were right about Neferet, we have to get down there immediately!" Thanatos cut into my thoughts "The child could be in grave peril."

I sighed, then got up to get dressed "Okay, I'm coming." I chucked some clothes to Stark, who was still in the bed, looking slightly bleary. Then, on a whim, I got my seeing stone. I hoped I wouldn't have to use it, again, but it was good to have a failsafe. I waited for Stark to finish getting dressed, and then, the two of us ran for it. Thanatos was already dividing who would drive with whom. I wound up driving Damien and Shaunee.

The drive to the Mayo wasn't particularly long, fifteen minutes at the worst, but as I wondered about the fate of the little girl, it seemed like eternity. _Stupid move, Z _I berated myself _if you'd tried a little harder, maybe that girl would be safe. _I hoped we got there before Neferet killed her. That's when I saw Kalona flying. Maybe all hope wasn't quite lost.

_Neferet_

I had decided to go all out this year, to give Mona at least one Christmas to remember fondly. At this point, it was all about giving her what I never had: a tree, caroling (without Silent Night, though), gingerbread houses, loads of presents and a Christmas feast, which proved to be exponentially more difficult to cook than I had thought.

"Neferet! There's something at the window!" Mona shrieked, as she sprinted over to me. I walked over to the balcony, seeing Kalona. I opened the door "What are you doing here?" I demanded, my voice hard "You have no place here, anymore and don't think you can fool me into thinking otherwise."

"I have come for the child." He said simply "To protect her."

And I laughed, just as hard, just as derangedly as I had in response to the other children, a couple days ago. "You think I'm what's endangering this child?" I demanded

Just then, Zoey, Thanatos and the whole circle, plus warriors and Aurox, came barging in through my door. "I need you to unhand the child." Thanatos announced

"Why should I?" I demanded, starting to get angry that, not only had Dallas been a complete failure, but now they were trying to take away the one good thing in my life.

Zoey ran over to Mona "Come on, you're safe now, I'll take you home." She coaxed.

Mona ran behind me "This is home now." She replied stubbornly, "And why does that guy have wings?" she asked

"Because that guy is an immortal." I explained, Zoey began to extricate her seeing stone from her coat.

"If you call the mirror, there will be someone dying tonight, and it will not be Mona." I threatened

"Can we make cookies now?" Mona demanded

Zoey looked through the stone, and gasped. Just then, Shaylin and Aurox came running in. Shaylin took one look at Mona and I and whispered something to Thanatos.

"That's peculiar." Thanatos squinted at me, as though reading fine print.

I used my powers to delve into Shaylin's thoughts. Then, I saw myself from her eyes. There was an aura around me, primarily, it was the white of the bull, with violent slashes of bloody red. It was the edges that looked alarming, however. The white faded into a candle light yellow along the edges. I shook my head and left Shaylin's mind.

"That's remarkable." Shaylin amended Thanatos's statement, with a smile "Merry Christmas." She escorted Aurox out "Wouldn't want to intrude"

Thanatos smiled "Kalona, there is no danger for the child, for the moment," she tossed her keys to Stevie Rae, while voicing her uncertainty. "Kalona, can you fly me home?" She asked

He smiled and obliged her, carrying her, bridal style, from my house. Aphrodite and Darius then left, as well as Stevie Rae and Rephaim, the latter giving me a shocked sounding "Merry Christmas."

Then, Ddamien, Shaunee and Stark left, leaving just Zoey "I know you're planning something, I just don't know what." She spoke "But I don't buy this for a moment." And on that 'joyful' note, she left.

"Now, let's go make cookies!" I replied, knowing I owed Mona an explanation, but feeling loathe to give it to her, knowing that once I did, she may never trust me again.

_Zoey_

After we were done at Neferet's place, we had all decided to go to the House of Night, to meet Lenobia and Travis. That was where, I swear, andother Christmas miracle happened….

_Erin_

I was sitting alone, outside, when Zoey and her friends arrived. Stevie Rae was talking animatedly to Shaylin about some kid as they walked to the stables.

_Disappointment. _Even on Christmas, I couldn't escape that cursed imprint. No one turned to see me until Damien and Shaunee got out of Zoey's little blue bug. Shaunee's eyes met mine for a moment, and then her and Damien walked over.

"Erin. Merry Christmas!" Shaunee tried and failed to sound cheerful "I've been meaning to ask this since last night, but are you okay?"

In what sense of the word? But my pride won out "Funny, I almost believed you cared there. And I'm fine." I snapped, starting to get up.

"No, you're not, there's something eating away at you. I can tell." Damien piped up "We don't need all this animosity just because you and Shaunee aren't twins anymore.

I sighed. May as well tell Damien. It wasn't like it would maker to Shaunee though. "I accidentally got imprinted with Dallas." Erin admitted "And, he wasn't who he seemed once I could sense his emotions. Plus, he was working for Neferet. I was just a source of info." I said bitterly

"Well, did you try talking to Nyx?" Shaunee asked

I sighed "She didn't respond. I don't even think she listened. Not that I blame her. I mean, I've seriously gone and fucked things up, and she's probably going to leave me alone to deal with this crap as karma."

Damien shook his head "That's not how Nyx is. Come on, Shaunee." The two of them revealed candles that they carried, Damien's Wind candle in his satchel, and Shaunee's Fire candle in her purse, I had never put my Water candle away, so it sat in my palm.

"Why don't we all light them, and see what happens?' Damien suggested. Shaunee passed him the matches, and he lit the candle, then she lit her candle with her fingertips. I lit mine off the rapidly burning wick of Shaunee's.

"Nyx. We wanted to talk to you?" Damien sounded uncertain "It's my friend Erin. She messed up, and she's seeking your help."

Nyx appeared "Erin, that's what I was waiting for. I did not want to grant you what you wanted until you could rejoin your friends." Nyx explained "But now, it is long past the time for you to become your own person. Not Dallas's girlfriend, not Shaunee's twin, just Erin, do you understand?" Nyx asked. I felt my heart lift at the thought

"Yes" I whispered

"Then brace yourself. The breaking of an imprint is never fun." And with Nyx's words, the pain set in. It was an agony beyond anything I'd ever experienced. Imagine how it would feel to have a part of your soul gouged out, or to be eaten by a shark, or burned or something. That's how I felt, but, thankfully, it didn't last long.

"Just remember, you are Erin, and not what others want you to be. I made you as you are, and I do not make mistakes." Nyx reminded me, "blessed be, my children." And then, she disappeared. I had been forgiven!

I looked at my two friends and, feeling happier than I had in a long time, I declared "Let's go tell Zoey the good news."

"Stupendous" Damien added "it's a Christmas miracle."

And that was when I realized that, no matter what, Nyx and my friends were with me. I guess that was what Christmas was about. And this was the best Christmas ever.

**Well, this was written between 2:32 and 3:55 am, so I hope it's worth reading. Also, this is my first finished story! (without a sequel) I just wanted to thank everyone who read, reviewed or motivated me along the way. You guys are so worth getting up at 2:32 in the morning for! KShade, out, and a merry Christmas to you all!**


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